of broken mirrors and roses
by Never the End127
Summary: "C'mon, Cinder." Thorne goaded, shoving her towards the doors. "We're out of there the second the crown touches her head." (Four stories of Winter's coronation ceremony.)
1. Preface

**AN: hello friends! This is a story set post-winter, after Levanna has been defeated and Winter is now being crowned queen of Luna. Mind you, this is sort of just an introductory chapter- establishing the plot (there's not much of one) and all that. This will follow 4 more chapters (in theory,) each following one of the Lunar Chronicles characters on this particular night.**

**You are all such lovely people. Anyone else suffering from withdrawl? I sure am. Lets complain about it to each other. ^_^**

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><p>"Dont worry, we'll be in and out as soon as the crown touches her head." Thorne's knuckles press into her back as he pushes Cinder forwards, and she grimaces.<p>

"I want to be there for her." Cinder insists.

"I know you do. You are a very loyal friend, Cinder... who is going to get masacered by the press in there." Thorne throws a glance over his shoulder, nervously watching the valet transport the Rampion into the lower docks.

"Could you forget about the ship, Thorne?" Cinder snaps, a little sharply, and Thorne turns around in time for the glossy black doors between them and the courts of Artemisia to swing open slowly.

Thorne hooks his silk-clad arm through Cinder's and gives her a tug. "C'mon, Majesty." And then, once they're through the gates, in a lower tone, "And that glorified waiter didn't know what he was doing... Aces, i just got her patched up after... well, you know."

Cinder smirked and left it at that. The destruction of the Rampion after the Earth/Luna battle was still a sore subject for Thorne.

The ballroom was swirling with skirts, varying shades of blue and white and pink. Cinder vaugely remembered that Winter's dress was going to be purple. She glanced down at the dress that Winter had instructed be tailored for her personally- styled to conceal all of her 'unsightly mechanical flaws' as the designer put it, while still displaying as much skin as possible.

She had to go through with this. Winter so obviously wanted Cinder to be there- she had gone to great lengths to make sure she would attend the coronation. No matter that many of the guards here were the same ones she had fought against before Levanna fell.

"Where's Kai?" Cinder thought aloud at the same time Thorne said "Where's the free booze?"

Cinder put her hands on her hips and rolled her eyes, watching the corner of Thorne's chiseled mouth tug upwards.

"You miss Cress, don't you?"

Thorne's eyes darkened, and he snatched a dark red cocktail off the nearest tray, sucking it down in a few sips. "Yuck. Cherry. Tastes like medicine."

"Winter didn't want anything apple-themed at her coronation." Cinder said. "And with good reason. And don't change the subject."

Thorne drained the rest of his glass and picked up another, this one frothy and blue, with cucumbers in it for whatever reason. "She... is better off without me." He threw back his drink and Cinder grimaced again, watching the disapproving glances of some of the lunar nobles. "I could never live up to her expectations. I'm all wrong for her- she deserves a prince charming, not some tortured, rugged renegade on the run from the law."

Cinder sighed and rubbed his shoulder, still looking around for Kai. "You might be selling yourself a little bit there, don't you think, Captain?"

"She's better off without me." Thorne repeated.

"She's heartbroken, Carswell." Cinder corrected.

Thorne glanced over at her, watching her take a glove off her good hand to start picking at the cucumbers in his glass. "I hope you choke on that."

"That's pretty dark, Captain." Cinder said, waving at the bored looking red-head across the hall.

Scarlet breaks into a grin, freckles scrunching higher on her nose. She tugs on the sleeve of Wolf's uniform and points, but he merely smiles, shaking his head and pointing into the throng, where princess Winter is no doubt being swarmed by affectionate subjects.

Scarlet stands on her toes to peck him on the lips and scampers over to them, throwing her arms awkwardly around Cinder, then swatting Thorne fondly on the shoulder.

"Bonjour! Cinder, you tramp." She winks, and Cinder rolls her eyes, because that's a bit rich. Scarlet's own neckline plumets half-way to her waist. "You didnt have any say in your wardrobe either, I guess?"

"None." Thorne adressed the bottom of his glass.

"Kai's looking for you, Cinder. Said you two were planning to meet."

"Yeah, we've both bee pretty busy lately. Have you seen Cress?" She gave Scarlet a meaningful glance.

"Well, she's been kind of down, lately." Scarlet's voice was equal parts annoyed and sympathetic. "But she came here with me, actually. No one can get ahold of Kai and she didnt have a escort- so Wolf and i brought her here."

Thorne looked incredibly guilty.

At that moment, a high chime rung throughout the marble hall, and all heads turned towards the elaborate platform at the end of the throne room.

Winter was standing before her throne with a guard at each side- Cinder immediately recognized Jacin, the tall, handsome guard who had betrayed them before turning tales again to defend and save his princess. He had cut his ice-blonde hair short, and his eyes were as sharp and cold as always. But they were full of light while he gazed on his queen, though the grip on his holster was strong.

Cinder was reminded once again how grateful she was for her cousin's bravery- even after Levanna fell, the Lunar court was still plagued with fear and vengence.

Wolf, who was now one of Princess Winter's personal guards, had told Scarlet (who naturally, had immediately commed Cinder) that there had been three attempts on Winter's life in the first twenty minutes of the ball.

Now the princess stood bravely before her court and her friends, eyes bright and laughing, smile wide.

"Friends!" She calls out, and every corner of the hall falls into a respectful silence. "Whether you here for the history, for the company, or for the free alcohol, I'd like to welcome you. And after all, we may not be so different. We all have something in common here. None of us know what I'm going to talk about tonight."

There was an outbreak of friendly laughter. "She's doing much better, now." Cinder remarked.

Winter's Lunar madness had been slowly deteriorating. Jacin had spoken with Kai about it at length, Cinder remembered.

"Yeah, Wolf says she's been sleeping well, and the hallucinations are pretty much gone." Scarlet adds, smiling.

Winter looks beautiful, per usual- her hair is twisted up high with each curl woven carefully into place, her dress long and sweeping, with layers of chiffon and silk flowing out like petals and decorated with gems and flowers. Everything was flowers with Winter- especially roses. The throne room was overflowing with roses of every color.

"I personally hate speeches. So..." Winter beams out at the crowd, hands clasped over her heart. "Thank you all, and have a lovely evening."

She sat down, the petals of her lavender dress fluttering gracefully, and everyone stared.

"That was it?" Thorne laughed so hard he nearly choked on his drink.

"That was it." Scarlet confirmed.

"Well, it was..."

"Short?" Cinder offered.

Thorne speared the air with another half-filled cocktail. "Yes." He agreed grandly. "It was short."

"Though she still is a bit... odd." Scarlet admitted.

"Cinder?"

Ducking under the Captain's outstretched arm was the man Cindy had scarcely seen since the battle against Levanna.

"Kai?"

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><p><strong>So, Winter is still pretty weird, no worries. Her chapter I will have fun writing. Soooo.. where should i start? Cress and Thorne? Cinder and Kai? Scarlet and Wolf? Winter and Jacin? I love hearing back from you guys, because it gives me a chance to interact with other fans and that is amazing because none of my friends have read this series. Thank you so much for reading all of this and this rambly note! ^_^<strong>


	2. Cinder and Kai 1

**Salutations, friends! Ok- so this chapter got to be really long so I split it into two parts- this is part one and I'm still working on the second. I should have it done really soon, though!**

**you all left such kind and helpful reviews (i can't believe I switched tenses again, I _always_ do that) and I've fixed up some stuff and I hope you have fun reading this. ^_^**

**So, I counted 9 votes for Cinder and Kai, 3 for Scarlet and Wolf, and two people wanted Cress and Thorne...**

**so, Kaider, Part 1**

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><p>The lights seem too bright for a moment, and the world spins around her in a haze of people and skirts and laughter as Cinder is shoved by Thorne, (the bastard) onto the dance floor.<p>

"Have fun!" He cackles, and Cinder growls back something vaguely threatening that sounds like "swallow your teeth, Captain," although she doesn't really know what she says because Kai is _smiling at her._

He leads her down the rotunda to the flat of gray marble overlooking the lake, nearest to princess Winter's throne. There's still a long, deep crack in the stone where the columns collapsed during the fight to subdue Levanna. There's still rubble in the courtyard and some sort of construction in one of the wings.

Cinder remembers very little about the Lunar/Earthen war, although its destruction was hard to forget. Cinder herself has been swamped with work, desperately trying to repair a bond that has been strained for centuries. The Lunars are a stubborn and oftentimes malicious people. Sitting in a council full of them for hours on end is hellish, to say the least.

Kai takes her hand- her cyborg hand, _stars_- and spins her in close.

Words. Words. Those things she needs to be making now. Um.

"It's been too long, Linh-mei." He shoves a hand through his hair nervously before it settles on her waist.

"It has." Cinder replies, managing not to stutter. "I, uh... I didnt think you were going to be here tonight."

Kai says nothing, but his jaw clenches, his hand tightening on her hip.

"Our informants have been saying that Earthen and Lunar relations are so strained that it would be safest for you to remain in the Commonwealth... for the next few decades or so."

Kai looks extremely guilty. "I'm sorry I haven't been in touch with you... I've been very busy..." He sighs through a smile. "There were rumors of my abdication as emperor of the Eastern Commonwealth. Until that even began to clear up, I had to sit in on a council concerning the reinstatement of Lunar Ambassadors and patch up all the damage Levanna caused to New Beijing. Of course, that's no excuse."

The world around them seems to relax suddenly as the conversation is broken by Winter's gleeful laughter. Kai glances over at the group surrounding her and at the barrage of bodyguards hovering nearby. He winces.

"Of course, I'm sure you're worse off- I can't even imagine how chaotic everything must be for you, ever since you stepped down from the throne."

Cinder groans ernestly, letting her head fall back in exhasperation, and Kai laughs good naturedly. "You have no idea."

"How does that work, exactly?" Kai asks, steering her away from a crowd of angry - looking diplomats and back towards the center of the ballroom. "I mean... do you just get to throw your crown on the ground and walk out?" His tone is teasing, but cautious. Kai wants to be polite, but she can tell how curious he is.

"I'm glad you asked." Cinder smirks. "Because I've been looking for someone else to complain to about that all day."

Kai laughs, and out of the corner of her eye Cinder sees Jacin and Wolf. They stand a little ways away from the Queen, glancing over at her occasionally. Then Wolf nods, gives Jacin a half bow, and departs to the sidelines where the nobles stand, watching the couples dance. Scarlet is there.

Cinder watches as Scarlet reaches up and twines her fingers around Wolf's jacket collar, kissing one stubbly cheek. He takes her hand and leads her through the crowd, out into the courtyards. Before she slips under the huge marble arch that leads out into the gardens, Scarlet throws Cinder a wicked grin over one bare shoulder. She mouths something Cinder's retinal scanner picks up as_,"Nail him."_

Cinder wonders how difficult it will be to kill Scarlet in front of a roomful of witnesses.

Kai, who had been following Cinder's line of sight, fortunately did not possess her computer-generated sight and had (hopefully) no idea what Scarlet was saying. At least there were no hand gestures.

Kai sways her slowly on the spot. Her dress isn't tangled around her new cybernetic extremeties, and theres not a demented queen trying to kill her. Things should be fine. Cinder should be completely content.

But there's something else nagging at the back of her mind.

"Kai," she grasps his shoulders, tilting her head back so she can look him in the eye, "why are you here?"

He looks politely puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"You didn't just come for the company, and I know you're not here for the publicity- why are you here? None of us have seen you in weeks, and suddenly you show up at some random-" Cinder cuts herself off, drawing in a breath and biting her lip. She hadnt meant to snap at him. "Kai." She touches his sleeve, all embroidered seals and symbols- signifying his loyalty to the Eastern Commonwealth. "You can tell me. I'm sorry I cornered you like that. What's wrong?"

He sighs, running his fingers through gelled hair that's been completely destroyed due to his inibility to keep his hands off it. The press and the media and Kai's crazed fangirls may prefer him like this- dressed up and fancy and professional-looking- but Cinder how Estin prefers him in jeans and a sweatshirt. She suspects he likes her better the same way.

"Kai?"

He looks up, and she doesnt recognize his expression.

"I'm not being abdicated. On one condition."

"And what is that?" Cinder fought he urge to put her hands on her hips.

Kai she's heavily. "The Eastern Commonwealth will only accept me as emperor if I can prove our peace with Luna is absolute."

He fell silent, waiting for her to understand. Cinder merely stared, awaiting an explaination.

"I'm expected to marry Winter."


	3. Ciner and Kai 2

Cinder stares at him.

"What." She finally manages, and it doesn't even sound like a question.

Kai turns away, hands twisted into his hair, and lets out this distressed, frustrated groan. "The Council is adament. I marry Winter, or the throne goes to my Chief Advisor."

As if on cue, Winter pokes her head out through the crowd, waving at Cinder over a guard's shoulder. "Selene!" She calls, "Coronation is in twenty minutes! Sit next to me at the banquet, m'kay?"

Cinder grins in reply, and the girl seems to take that as a yes. She vanishes back into the crowd.

Kai takes her by the hand. Her stomach turns and little green warnings scroll down the corner of her retinal scanner. Even though they've known each other for a year now, fought alongside and against each other, trained, schemed and strategized their way to the winning side of a war together- Cinder still feels shy with him sometimes.

He leads her to an empty space under the low arches of the north wing, where she's pretty sure she saw Thorne sulking around not too long ago. The light is rosy gold and the spade is secluded, but spacious. Kai turns to face her, tugging nervously at the high collar of his dress shirt.

"What is going on?" Cinder asks, not because she doesn't understand, but because she cant believe it.

"Apparently we need a bond between Earth and Luna thats stronger than a piece of paper. What no one seems to understand is that if i marry Winter, that's all it will be. Her name and mine, side by side on a piece of paper."

"But youre going to marry her anyways?" Cinder is pretty sure that sounds a lot more jealous than she intended.

He rubs his temples, eyes shut. "This is all so complicated."

There's a long, still lapse of silence, aside from the sounds of chatter and music and laughter in the center of the throne room. Everyone else is so happy. Cinder wonders if Winter knows about this arranged marriage.

Winter- the poor girl. She would no doubt blame herself for taking Kai away from Cinder. And Jacin would be devestated at losing his princess.

"Kai, this- this isn't like you." Cinder sputters finally.

"Cinder, I love you. You know that. And I want to be with you, but this is about so much more than that."

"You're not making sense." Cinder leans in closer and sees that there are faint shadows under his eyes. "Stars, Kai- this is all my fault..."

He looks up at her, shocked. "Your fault?" He says incredulously. "I'm telling you we can't be together because I failed at convincing my own council otherwise, and youre blaming yourself? Have you lost your mind?"

"I shouldn't have refused the throne."

Cinder immediately realizes what a terrible thing that is to say on Winter's coronation day. But it's true. If she hadn't given up the throne, Kai wouldn't be forced to marry Winter. She had robbed Kai, Winter and even Jacin of the right to find love on their own. She never thought she'd feel guilty for cheating Jacin out of something.

Kai merely shakes his head. "You had no choice. The people never would have followed you."

"They followed me to overcome Levanna." Cinder points out bitterly.

Kai chooses to ignore this piece of invaluable information. "My father used to say, 'people would rather endure a domestic tyrant than suffer a noble foreigner."

"Meaning you think the Lunars prefer to be lead by Winter than me because I was raised on earth? Kai, most of them don't even know I was raised on Earth. They hate me because I'm a criminal- a fugitive, a traitor a cyborg- not to mention my political abilities are just swell. Oh, and then there's always the fact that I murdered my predecessor-"

"None of that matters now." Kai said firmly. "You did what you had to do. You're a hero, Cinder."

She opened her mouth to argue, but the look he gave her made her think twice. Kai rarely glared and almost never raised his voice- but she could tell that if she tried to argue her guilty role in Levanna's death, Kai would fight her and win.

"I'm not going to marry Winter." He says finally.

Cinder gapes at him.

"I'm not going to marry her." He says, his voice strengthening."If the Council threatens to elect Shou Yun as Emperor, I'll choose you anyways, and Torin will have fits. I'll be abdicated, most likely. If Winter wasn't calling the shots, we'd be at war again."

"Kai- no. No. Just give me a chance to sort this out." Cinder purses her lips and fists both hands in the flimsy material of her dress. "There has to be another way."

"It's too late, Cinder. I came here tonight because i didnt know what to do... and seeing you again... seeing how happy you are- ive decided i cant go throuh with it."

"What if the queen declined the marriage proposal?"

"Now? Cinder, that would be considered an act of war at this point."

"What if your alliance was solidified another way?"

Kai stares at her. "What are you getting at?"

Cinder hesitates, mulling the details over in her mind. "Marry me."

...

...

... "What?"

It's like she's telling him her secret all over again- that she's a cyborg, that she's Selene, and he doesn't know how to take it.

"I'm still regent princess of Luna." Cinder says. "Marry me. It fixes the whole alliance situation, Winter is free to marry whomever she pleases, you get to keep your throne, and we..."

She cuts herself off, watching the myriad of emotions flickering across his face, confusion, doubt, skepticism- and a tiny spark of hope in his eyes.

"Cinder, you can't. The entire reason you gave up the throne was so you wouldnt have to be queen. I cant drag you back into that."

"We're talking about your birthright as emperor, Kai. I'm pretty sure I can handle a few boring council meetings and political parties."

"It's more than that, and you know it. The assassination attempts would become a part of your daily life, Cinder, from Eartherns and Lunars alike. I cant put you in that kind of danger." Kai says firmly.

Cinder gives a one-shouldered shrug, trying to appear nonchalant. "People want me dead on Earth, they want me deader on Luna. I think this is one of my better options."

"Cinder." Kai scolds. "This is not a game."

"War never is." Cinder takes a step closer so their chests are almost touching and puts her hand on his cheek. He catches it, leaning into the touch, "And for you and me, Kaito, the war isn't over yet. But if you marry me, Kai- if we work together to build an alliance between our countries, then we can end this that much faster."

Kai stares at her, his real, dark eyes boring into her own synthetics, silent and serene. He lets her hand go, falling back a step. Sucks in air through his teeth, hands knotting in his hair.

"Kai. Will you marry me?" Cinder holds her breath.

He looks to the side, out the window at the starry sky above Artemisia lake. "Are you sure you want to do this?" He asks, and his tone is more serious than she has ever heard it.

Cinder scoffs. "Hell no." She feels a twinge of guilt, having sworn in front of the emperor, but he merely chuckles. "I- I mean... stars, I'm seventeen, Kai. I don't want to be married. But hey," she gives him a sidelong glance. "Just our names and a piece of paper, right?"

"It means whatever you want it to mean." Kai smiles.

Cinder looks up at the swirling lights above them, at the silvery chandaliers and intricate tapertries and the jewls that studded the cieling in a beautiful mosaic of the night sky. It's gorgeous- and Cinder doesn't want it, doesn't want any of it.

But she does want Kai.

Kai slides the glove from her metal hand and takes it beteeen his own, and even though there are no nerves to react to his touch, Cinder swears she can feel the phantom of her skin shivering under his.

"When I met you in the market that day, I knew." He says serenely. "I knew. That we would be friends. And maybe something more."

"I didnt." Cinder confesses with a laugh. "I thought I came across as slightly moronic."

"So did i." Kai admits.

He glances over his shoulder to make sure no one is looking, then ducks out into the corridors, pulling her behind what looks like a barrel stuffed with a fountain of roses. (Winter and her flowers.)

He kneels down, one knee in the loose rose petals and her metal hand over his heart.

"Do you love me?" He smiles.

"Yes." Her voice is a breathy whisper, and already her head is pounding with the tears that won't come.

"Then, Selene Cinder Linh Blackburn or whatever your name is," he pauses and Cinder laughs, sounding as gleeful as Winter. "Will you become Queen of the Eastern Commonwealth, after what I promise you will be a very long, laid-back engagement?"

Cinder swats his shoulder, grabbing Kai by the collar of his dress shirt and tugging him up towards her. She crushes her mouth against his in a sweet and clumsy kiss.

"Yes." Cinder exclims. "Yes."

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><p><strong>Leave a vote, my friends! Which chapter is next? I will write roughly the same length for each couple, but confined to one chapter. What shall it be? ^_^<strong>


	4. Scarlet and Wolf

**AN/ hi folks. Sorry this took so long- I tallied the votes and Scarlet and Wolf have the highest count for the next chapter. Sorry if things seem a little off- I just finished this today, and I've been violently I'll with the flu. I mean, it is brutal. I'm being quarantined for 5 days. Not feeling well at all- so I'm really sorry if there are any mistakes. Enjoy, and don't forget to vote ^_^**

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><p>Scarlet hates Lunars. Not a very origional thought, she'll conceed.<p>

But for the most part, Scarlet can't stand them. The whole damn race is nearly as disturbing as the history of Thorne's sex life (not that she wants intimate details on that, either.)

With the exception of Wolf, of course. And Cinder, Cinder's okay. Winter is a darling. Cress is sweet. And alright, Scarlet can usually tolerate Jacin Clay. Depending on how much wine she's had.

But the rest of the Lunars, especially the ones in Winter's court, make her want to gouge her eyes out with scissors. Wolf had looked horrified when she said that- she's really going to have to explain hyperboles to him sometime.

Wolf's hand cups her hip, the other holding her own, hidden down in the folds of her dress. His fingers twitch between hers, his eyes nervous and his jaw set as he scans the room for danger.

Even though he's officially Winter's guard, Scarlet knows he's protecting her just as much as he is the queen.

He's been like this since the day she was rescued.

Winter dismissed the guard who had assaulted her while she was a prisoner of war- she's done everything Scarlet could have asked for and more to make her feel comfortable here. Scarlet loves Winter, she does. She would kill for the girl. (She has.) But after Winter appointed Wolf her guard, Scarlet couldn't help feeling a bit resentful. She had been looking forward to returning to Roux with Wolf. While she was imprisoned, it was the vision of their future that had kept her strength up- that and Winter's painkillers.

A vision that included going home, sleeping sixteen hours straight- then waking up and proceeding to lounge around in her pajamas all day, eating whatever she wanted and possibly crying for a week.

But hey. Priorities.

"You look beautiful." Wolf reminds her. Just like that- out of nowhere, sweet and earnest and genuine, and Scarlet blushes a little, holds out her skirt at the sides and lets it drop, admiring the little flash of sequins and gems.

"Winter picked it out."

Scarlet's dress is red, naturally, and the way it puffs out under the waist makes it easy to walk around, not having to worry about tripping over her own feet. Only trouble is, the inside is really satiny and soft- Scarlet nearly fell asleep standing up a couple of times, she was so comfortable.

Wolf frowns in that adorably confused way he has. "I... wasn't talking about the dress. It's just... you."

Scarlet feels herself blushing again. "Silly." she accuses.

"Not." He grumbles, but otherwise says nothing. Then, after a few moments of thought; "The... er, Captain said you'd want to dance?"

"Yeah, stop listening to Thorne." Scarlet dismisses, and Wolf laughs.

A few feet away, Scarlet sees Cinder and Kai dancing. The emperor looks dashing, and Cinder looks flustered but beautiful. Kai spins her outwards and pulls her back in, twirling her under his arm. She gets tangled in the red sash over his shoulder, her hair catching in his collar, and they stumble.

Those two are stupidly adorable, and Scarlet, high and happy on the feel of warmth and safety and comfort, decides sleepily that if Kai doesn't propose to Cinder soon, she'll kick him.

Wolf pulls Scarlet's elbow gently, a playful smile curling around the points of his teeth. "C'mon." He coaxes, tugging her towards the huge glass doors that lead out into the courtyards. "Jacin gave me the hour off."

"Really?" Scarlet is almost skeptical. "That's... out of character."

"Is it?" Wolf feigns polite ignorance.

Scarlet raises an eyebrow.

Wolf chuckles, running his hand over her shoulder. "Alright, you win, he's a bastard."

"Agreed. So why do you get time off watching Winter?"

"It had nothing to do with him wanting to give me a break." Wolf assured her. A waiter with a tray of champagne flutes passed by. Wolf snatched a glass off without spilling a drop and handed it to Scarlet. "He was talking about how we need more guards around the perimeter tonight- too many people crowding around the Princess, and not nearly enough on parol."

"Queen." Scarlet corrected. "After tonight, she'll be queen."

Wolf grins again, slyly. "Stars help us all."

Scarlet bursts out laughing, and Wolf's green eyes crackle brightly at the sound. "I believe Jacin's exact words were, 'Someone else is going to get shot before this calamity is over, and it sure as hell isn't going to be her.'

Scarlet examined the bubbly golden liquid fizzing in her cup. "Wonder why there are two straws in it. Where's the sense in that?" Then, "I guess Jacin's being sweet. In a really weird way."

"He cares for her." Wolf agrees earnestly. He's always respected that about Jacin, if nothing else.

"She's his alpha. He loves her." Scarlet goes up on her tip-toes, but Wolf still has to lean down for her to give him a peck on the cheek. "I know the feeling."

Their trek across the dance floor towards the exit doors is stuff of ledgend. Wolf is the kind of man who gets crowds to part for him- he'd be intimidating enough without the scars or the teeth. Scarlet, on the other hand, has to follow in the path he makes for her, like chasing footprints in the snow.

She sees Cinder and Kai by the fountain flooded with roses in the center of the Great Hall. They're talking with their faces close together and Cinder is fiddling with her gloves. Scarlet breezes close enough to catch her eye and mouths _'nail him.'_ Cinder gives Scarlet this certain glare that clearly expresses to Scarlet just how lucky she is they're surrounded by witnesses.

They're twenty feet from the guarded doors when someone stumbles into them, pushing her so she trips over the train of someone's dress, stumbling backwards. Her elbow slams into one of the marble pillars, and she curses, rather violently.

"Stars." Thorne hisses, looking down at his half-empty glass and the red stain seeping into his shirt.

"Thorne?" Scarlet looks up. Wolf is right behind her, his hand on her shoulders, steadying her.

It's not a pretty sight. Thorne looks more than a little buzzed, and his eyes are dark and unfocused as he grips at the marble pillar to regain balance.

Scarlet looks around, hoping to see Cress in the vicinity before squashing the idea down immediately. Thorne is in no state to be reuniting with Cress. Scarlet isn't even sure if Cress was supposed to be here- Winter had taken to the Lunar Shell immediately, as she took to everybody, and had no doubt invited her as a personal guest. But would Cress even want to come, after what happened between her and the Captain...

Thorne glances over at Wolf. "Sorry." He says shortly, batting in vain at the red stain seeping over the front of his shirt.

"Why are you apologizing to me?" Wolf bristles, his arm wrapping around Scarlet to steady her.

"What?" Thorne blinks in confusion. "Oh. You mean for the wine. Nah, meant I was sorry for staring at Scarlet's ass earlier."

Scarlet rolls her eyes and feels Wolf bristle beside her, but the two of them know enough to not antagonize him tonight. A small part of her expects Cress to stick her head out from behind him and waltz into the conversation, reprimanding 'Language! And manners, Carswell, you're better than that,' like the woman has a radar or something.

Honestly, Thorne has a good enough reason to be snarky.

After the battle between Luna and Earth, it had been expected (not just by Thorne, but by all of them) that he would recieve a full pardon from every nation that heard of his heroism. Three out of the four nations were still pressing charges, and if he lost the case in even one of their courts, he'd be looking at a lifetime in prison. Even though Kai, Winter and Cinder had all thrown in their weight to get their significant countries to retract their accusations, the odds were not in Thorne's favor.

He could be looking at prison within a week if the trial went south.

They steer around Thorne and across the veranda. Wolf's hand rubs up and down her arm, cuddling her close, and at the end of the first flight of stairs he kisses the top of her head.

"How are you feeling?" He swings their hands together and twirls her around like Cinder and Kai had done in the Great Hall.

"Not... terrible." She stub where her little finger used to be throbs with phantom pain every time she looks at the Lunar Court. But it's true. She feels better. They sleep together now, curled up in the same cot on the Rampion with Wolf's limbs sprawled over her and her nose against his shirt. It's comforting. But sometimes Scarlet feels like she will never escape this court, her nightmare. She adores her friends and trusts them completely, but sometimes she can still feel the bite of a blade against bone, can stil feel blood streaming down in ribbons from the stump of her torn pinky

She feels sick, thinking about it.

And Wolf can sense that- she doesn't know how, but somehow he knows when she's scared.

"Do you need me to hurt Thorne?" Wolf suggests, sounding a little too eager.

"Don't be silly." That actually sounds like a pretty good idea, but Scarlet knows him, too. She knows that giving Wolf her approval for anything violent is dangerous. He cares too much about what she thinks.

Winter's roses are blossoming, her pet birds flittering and singing under their dome. Levanna's apple trees have been pried up from the earth, their poisoness fruit dried and burnt down to shriveling cores.

In their place there are orchids, roses and lichen, thick with buzzing polinators and nightengales. It's a beautiful place, really.

Beautiful.

Scarlet's lungs rake in a gulp of artificial oxygen, her hands trembling. "I hate this place." she admits to him, softly.

Wolf gazes at her, tranquile and calm. His hand doesn't move from her shoulder. "I'm sorry. I know it's your home, Wolf, but I can't- too many bad memories, here. I..."

He cuts her off with a kiss. She can taste her own blood in her mouth from where she's been picking at her lips, but Wolf minds the tears carefully.

"Whatever you want, love." He rumbles softly. "We can go home to Roux."

"On Grandmere's farm?" She scarcely dares to believe it.

"Where else?" His hand smooths her hair. "Did you think I was going to make you live here, with these lunatics?"

"But.. your job..."

"Is keeping you happy. I've only been to Earth once in my life. It's where I met you. I can't think of calling any place else home."

Scarlet doesn't mean to tackle him into a honeysuckle patch. It just kind of happens. She laughs, tearfully, smattering his face and neck with kisses.

"Yes." She really hopes no one else is near enough to hear how shrill her voice is, right there. "Let's go home."

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><p><strong>So, which next? Cress and Thorne, or Jacin and Winter? ^_^<strong>


	5. Cress and Thorne

**So, the votes tallied up overwhelmingly and I have written Creswell, as was asked! ^_^ (Thanks for voting!)**

**Also, sorry this took so long! First I was sick, then there were the holidays, then mid-terms directly afterwards- I've been super stressed. But all is well now, and it's time to get excited for Fairest! There's supposed to be an excerpt of Winter in this one- so we'll get a little relief from that massive Cliff Hanger!**

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><p>Cress feels like she's tried on over a hundred dresses for this ball, most of them Winter's. She remembers being in an elaborate 'closet' while being served little chalices of iced cider and pastries on silver trays. It was all so elegant- Cress had forced herself to sit up so straight her back didn't touch the back of her chair.<p>

She must have been in their for hours, trying on gowns that Winter gleefully rejected before encouraging her to try a different style.

There had been one that was built to show off curves she didn't have, while another was comfortable but built for someone much taller than Cress. One didn't have a back, another fell right off her shoulders. She was relieved when Winter finally decided she'd have to have something tailored especially for her.

She's in the presence of Lunar Royalty, which means wearing any headress- circulet, crown, even flowers- is technically a mockery of the nobility. But Winter isn't fond of restricting social expectations, which is why Cress stands at the top of the sweeping staircase with an illegal tiara pinned to her hair.

"Whoa. Um, wow." She feels like she's at Kai and Levanna's botched wedding all over again. "Everyone is looking at us." Her voice is little more than a squeak.

That's when she realizes it's because Winter is presenting her. The Lunar Queen is presenting her, a Shell, and the thought nearly brings tears to her eyes.

Winter chirps a laugh, hooking her arm around Cress's own, and tugging her downwards. She seems to glide like a ghost, skirts held delicately in one hand.

Cress tries and fails to glide, instead resignedly hitching her dress up to make it to the bottom of the routunda.

You are a famous actress. She reminds herself, before realizing she doesn't need to imagine anything away. This is stuff of her imagination, anyways. Acceptance at the Lunar Court. Guidance at the hands of a friend.

The only thing missing from her fantasy is Prince Charming.

But she can't think of that now. Because Winter is saying something- her voice rings out and everyone falls silent, as Winter introduces the valiant, graceful heroine, Crescent Moon Darnel. The Shell that saved them all.

Wow. Just... wow.

Applause reaches her ears in waves, and Cress has to look down so no one sees her blush. She gives Winter's hand a quick squeeze, murmurs her thanks, and then tries to disappear between the tall marble pillars where all the dancers are.

She gets lost for a moment in the swirl of skirts and colors, tries to collect herself. That was a lot of people... maybe a hundred. Or three hundred. Maybe even a thousand.

Iko kind of sneaks up on her. Probably not on purpose, but it still makes Cress startle.

"Hi-ya! Where's the Captain?"

Iko's electric blue hair is twisted up into fancy knots for the occasion. There are yards and yards of sequins and tulle of the same color blue, wrapped around her waist.

"Hello Iko." Cress greets her mellowly. She's quite fond of the android- talking to Iko reminds her of talking to Little Cress at home on her satalite. Programmed, polite- but also friendly, and best of all, nonjudgemental.

Cress is getting tired of the glares and whispers and stares she's endured from the Lunar Court- while they were willing to accept Winter as a queen and Cinder as a princess, Cress had discovered that it was much less forgiveable to be a Shell.

When Cress heard that Carswell Thorne was also going to be there as an honored guest, she had sworn she wouldn't come at all.

But Winter had begged so hard- she wanted everyone to be there with her, and Cress had never been very good at saying no.

This is exhilerating. And slightly terrifying. Sooo many people.

Cress has determined that she hates crowds. Like, a lot. All the color, the character, the noise and energy- it's suffocating, and she's suddenly feeling really dizzy.

Calm down. She orders herself sternly. So what if Thorne is here?

"Thorne is being a jerk, if you hadn't run into him yet." Iko informs her with a look of distaste. "He's hitting on Scarlet and being really rude to me."

"Oh." Cress says in a very small voice. She didn't actually need to know that.

"He said I still looked like a pear." Iko said snarkily, cocking her prosthetic hip for emphasis.

"That's... really mean." Cress says.

Iko apparently was only searching for validation, because she brightens instantly. "Hey, the others are looking for you." She says, poking Cress playfully in the stomach. "Scarlet just told me to round up the others and meet her in the girl's dressing room as soon as I get the chance. Kai and Cinder have big news, apparently. I've never seen Kai so excited."

"Wonder what that could be." Cress says, a reluctant grin pulling at her mouth. They're getting married no doubt- well, it's nice to know that Scarlet owes her money.

"So, are you coming?" Iko asks, admiring Cress's flowing gown.

"Soon." Cress says, not sure why she's stalling. "Just... give me a minute."

"Hurry." Iko advises, and she melts back into the crowd.

She doesn't know why she's looking for Thorne. This gives her an excuse to talk to him, but she's not supposed to care either way. She's supposed to be mature, collected, indifferent.

Trouble is, that's not her. Crescent Moon isn't any of those things, in any sense of the words. She's just her, and she doesn't understand why he keeps pushing her away- can't think of any reason other than her naievety.

Cress is just about to give up when she spots him through the translucent, gauzey curtains that hang over the entrance to the courtyard. She had seen Wolf and Scarlet disappear through them about an hour before.

The nobles part as she walks through the crowd, making an easy path for her. She would say it would make for a nice change, being able to walk without being trampled (she has an unfortunate height) if it weren't for all the glares as she passes.

He's staring down at the fountain when she sees him- golden light cutting flowy patterns and shadows in the water, which is filled with rose petals.

Stars, everything in Artemisia is so _pretty_.

Cress tries not to get distracted, and focuses instead on what she's going to say. Should she greet him? Should she get straight to the point? Should she mention his trial?

"Hey, Cress." He says, and she jumps- she had expected to be the one startling him. She stumbles backwards, gets tangled in her long dress, and nearly takes out an expensive-looking vase of flowers.

She's glad he was looking at the water for that.

But then, he's smiling when he looks up at her, so maybe he knew anyway.

"It's good to- I mean, hi, Cress here. Cinder wants to see us."

Stars, she's an idiot.

Kicking herself mentally, Cress forces herself to stand up straight and thanks the stars for the cool air that makes her blush only slightly less obvious.

"You look like a ballerina." Thorne says after a few minutes of silence.

She's not sure if it's a compliment or just a comment; she can't tell by the way he said it.

Thorne finishes his drink, then sets the empty glass down on the cobblestone path. He looks back at the fountain, then up at the stars, then down again.

Cress realizes she doesn't know what to do with her hands. Her mouth feels dry.

"So. How've you been?" Thorne glances up at her, then back down at the swirling water and lights.

"Good." She says lamely. She doesn't bother to ask how he's been, with the trial and everything. Should she mention that?

She doesn't have time to decide, because he's trying to make small talk again. It's torturously bad.

"So. Um. The weather we've been having. It's nice." Thorne offers. "I was worried we may get some rain... but things cleared up..."

"Carswell?" Cress begins shakily.

"It was just, kind of. Overcast, you know. Kind of makes you worry- all these expensive ballgowns, bet these people can't afford to get rained on..."

"Carswell?" Cress interrupts

"Yeah?"

"Um. We're on the moon. In a dome. We don't have rain. Or weather. There's a ventilation system, but there isn't actually any-"

"Yeah." He nodded fervently. "Right. I knew that."

"Of course you did." Cress says sincerely, to spare his feelings.

"Sorry- you- you were saying something?" Thorne presses awkwardly, gesturing vaguely with his hands.

"What? Um. I mean, yes. But Cinder wants to see us, so... you know. We'd better get going."

Thorne jerks his head in acknowledgement.

It's funny. She used to be so infatuated with him. She used to look at his picture and see nothing but his cocky grin, the perfect bone structure and the broken shades of blue in his eyes.

Now she looks at him and kind of wants to kick him. And kiss him and laugh with him and tease him and get away with it. She wants to tell him about her stupid daydreams and her childhood, wants to learn as much about his as she can.

So she does the only logical thing she can think of.

She holds her skirts out of the way, dips her hand into the fountain, and splashes him as hard as she can. Water sloshes over the edge of the fountain, soaking the front of his shirt.

"What the hell?" Thorne lets out a very emasculating shriek and stumbles back, hands fussing frantically with his hair. "What was that?"

"Stop moping." Cress suggests, and because she was so amused with his first reaction, she scoops another handful of water and flings it at him.

This time the noise he makes is more like a growl, and for a moment she's worried he's angry with her. She freezes, craning her neck to see his face.

Then he pounces on her.

It's a flurry of earth and crushed plant stems and pink chiffon. Cress squeals as Thorne pins her, and they tumble and roll onto a small hill of flowers just off the path.

Although he may be arrogant at times, Cress will say this for Carswell Thorne. The man plays to win.

He's laughing, head bowed against her collarbone while her heels scrape uselessly at his lower back. She manages to twist away, but not before he smears dirt across her cheek with his thumb. She gasps in horror, concerned for only a moment about how long it took Winter's assitant to do her makeup, but then she's preoccupied as Thorne tackles her knees.

Cress snatches up a handful of twigs and leaves, flinging them at his head, and a few live stalks of Winter's Snowdrops get stuck in his hair.

Cress kicks the filmy material off her dress and tries to run, but his arms lock around her from behind. She hears a heavy, healthy-sounding laugh. One breathing in substansial amounts of non-filtered oxygen, a laugh that's not muffled by the back of her hand. She realizes it's her own, and Cress laughs some more, just to hear the sound.

"Yield." Thorne advises.

"I yield." Cress squeaks her surrender. He doesn't let her go. Not right away.

She turns around in his embrace. They're both panting, grinning, holding each other just to stay upright.

"Oh, Captain." She giggles breathlessly. "What am I going to do with you?"

Thorne answers by smearing mud and leaves through her elegantly curled hair.

"Aaaah!" She ducks away, then realizes there's no point in salvaging the night. No Lunar gentleman would ever ask her to dance, anyway.

When Thorne realizes she's not struggling anymore, he stops mauling her with his muddy hands and instead takes a step back, looking at her quizically.

"What's up?" He asks. "Aren't you going to at least dunk my head in the fountain for screwing up your dress?

"There's no one in there I want to dance with." Cress shrugs, and gives him a meaningful look.

Thorne winces. "Cress." He begins, in this tone that's probably meant to sound argumenative, but just comes across in a very boring, lecturing tone. "We've talked about this."

"No, you've talked about this." She corrects. "Let me have my say."

"Can this wait until after my trial? Because if I'm going to prison-"

"You aren't. Now listen- you think I'm too young." Cress begins, and Thorne looks like he's going to interrupt her, but she holds up her hands to stop him. "You think I've spent my life in a shoebox and I don't know the first thing about love, and you're right. But Carswell, neither do you."

"What?"

"You've loved all your life, but not like this." She gestured between the two of them. "So how would you know?"

"You're not making sense."

"I don't have to. All you have to know is that I am your friend, Carswell. I care for you and if you don't want me, then it doesn't matter. You think this is puppy love, and I know you're wrong. Because I don't care if you never kiss me again. I just want to be in your life. Explain that away."

She didn't mean for that last part to sound like a challange, because she's pretty sure he could logic-away any arguments she makes.

Instead, he draws in a slow, deep breath. "Cress..."

"Friends." She insists.

Thorne laces his fingers through hers, and for one second Cress can see him. Not the suave, collected bandit he likes to pretend he is, not the half-decent guy everyone thinks he is. She sees Carswell Thorne for everything he doesn't pretend to be.

He never claimed to be genuine. Never claimed to be affectionate, or honest, or without fault.

Well, that last one's not actually true. He reminds Cinder of his infallibility any time she'll listen.

The point is, he's never said any of it to her. From the first moment he met Cress, Thorne has been telling her the truth.

He never said he wasn't rough around the edges.

And he does have some pretty rough edges, at that.

"Friends?" He breathes, and he's too close now. Their lips are inches apart.

"Absolutely." She answers.

It's their first kiss all over again- because he's wonderfully talented and she's clueless and they're both a little nervous, but that's okay. Their heights are kind of an issue- he's so tall, and she's 'little enough to fit in my toolbox,' according to Cinder. But Thorne just leans down and waits for her arms to go around his neck, and when he lifts her up the toes of her slippers brush against the ground.

She's not exactly sure what this means for them when he pulls away. But he's laughing, and she's laughing, and he swoops down to peck her once more on the cheek.

Cress feels happy. She feels safe.

Her dress is ruined and she's completely drenched and all her dreams are coming true in all the wrong ways.

Sibyl Mira must be rolling in her grave.

Because Cress got her fairy-tale happily ever after, after all.

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><p><strong>Okay guys! One more chapter, then the epilogue. Next, naturally, is Jacin and Winter- I'm really excited to see more of them in 'Fairest,' because I think it will delve into their relationship as children and make Jacin seem slightly less rage-inducing.<strong>

**Hey, since there's nothing left to vote on (epilogue contains all characters,) do you guys mind leaving your opinions of Jacin and Winter in the comments? I feel like I'm going to really love these two.**

**More soon- Gillian**


	6. Jacin and Winter 1

**Okay, how awesome was Fairest? And God, that was depressing. No spoilers, promise, but that book thoroughly creeped me out. Levana be crazy.**

**I think this will be two part chapter, since after reading the excerpt of Winter at the end of Fairest (sort of the light at the end of a very dark, very crazy tunnel) I got really shippy over these two.**

**Thanks so much for all your feedback- I'm thinking instead of writing an epilogue I'll just write a new story featuring all these guys. This is part one. 3**

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><p>"What took you so long?" Jacin snaps.<p>

They all look happy, faces flushed from laughing, and Winter bounds up to his side with her skirts clutched up to her knees and a grin that makes the lights burn brighter.

"They're getting married!" She sings, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "Cinder and Kaito are engaged! Isn't it wonderful?"

"I'm thrilled. Where have you been?" Jacin pulls her away and tries to stop her energetic fidgiting.

"Sorry." Cinder is smiling fondly at Winter. Her head is resting on Kai's shoulder and their hands are clasped in the folds of Cinder's skirt. "It's a political thing- we're not technically 'married.' Just.. well.." She clears her throat. "So. Um. Sorry we stole her away. We just thought we'd make the announcement in private first."

"Can we have their wedding here?" Winter asked, tugging on his sleeve. "Oh, I know Cinder- you can borrow the lady who does my hair, Farren, she's very nice, you'll like her- and then we can have all your friends from Earth travel here, and I'll sleep downstairs if we need more guest rooms, and-"

"I had an eye on her," Sir Kesley interrupts. His eyes are gleaming, one arm wound around the waist of the snarky red-headed girl who's name Jacin can never remember. Scarlet or something.

"I had a whole squadron out looking for her." Jacin snarls.

Thorne pushes forwards suddenly, followed by the short young Shell with pale hair in a filmy pink dress. "Sorry, my fault. I told her before the announcement, and she made Cinder wait so she could get a handful of glitter to throw in celebration."

For the first time, Jacin notices the pink and blue sequins in the 'Captain's' short hair.

"Why are you soaking wet?" He asks.

Thorne and the blonde Shell on his arm are both soaked and muddy, like they'd gone for a swim in one of the fountains before rolling around in the garden.

Winter chirps, "I think they were playing in the courtyards." She looks at Thorne, suddenly accusatory. "Did you murder my roses?"

"Noooo…" The little Shell girl answers very slowly.

"We did masacre the Hydrangeas, though." Thorne informs her.

"Carswell!" Crescent Moon Darnel shakes her head.

"And the tulips, and some of your snow drops."

Winter brightens. "Oh- well, those were going out of season anyway. Carry on." The Lunar Queen sweeps her skirts out of the way and the group resumes chattering and laughing, congradulating the newly engaged couple.

Jacin chews the inside of his cheek with malice. He links his arm through Winter's and pulls her away from the crowd, interrupting her lively conversation with Ze'ev Kesley and Scarlet, (both of whom adore her, and would never let anything happen to her. But still). "My Queen, you're to inform the guards where you're going before you separate from your guard. You know that."

Winter looks surprised. She laughs, then shoves him playfully. "Oh, Jay. Wolf was with me, I was fine! He'd never let the shadows near me. Scarlet glows, and that keeps me safe."

Jacin tries his hardest not to groan in exhasperation as she takes his arm and allows him to lead her up the stairs. "You're…" He trails off.

"Crazy?" Winter supplies helpfully.

"No." Jacin snaps. He didn't like her to say that. It was bad enough hearing it from the pitiful civilians who didn't know what they were talking about, but to hear it from her was worse.

Winter giggles. "I am, though, Jay. I don't know why you can't accept when the songbird is missing a wing." He stares at her in confusion and she giggles again. "Why don't we dance?"

"Not now, Trouble."

"Pleeeease?"

"No."

"Why are you mad at me?" She fists her hands in the soft, plentiful fabric of her long dress.

"I'm not mad." He says shortly, as she waves goodbye over his shoulder as the group disperses. "It's just time to get you back upstairs."

"Shouldn't I say goodnight to everyone?"

"You've put security under enough stress as it is. It's time to go."

Winter sniffs haughtily. "You were fun before you decided to be a grown-up."

Jacin leads her with one hand, the other covering his eyes in exhasperation. "Please stop talking."

Winter just makes this annoyed little muttering noise that tells him his portscreen is going to go missing soon.

There are a lot of things weird about Winter, and her sense of justice is no exception. Whenever she gets mad at him, she usually hides one of his possessions and doesn't give it back until he apologizes.

They've been best friends since they were toddlers, and to this day, he doesn't understand why.

Winter had been docile and sweet and angelic all her life- and he had bitten her, kicked her, pinched and hit and twisted and scratched until she cried and had to be consoled by her mother. And yet she would follow him around the same way she followed her mother and father, always playing what he wanted to play, doing what he wanted to do, obeying like he was the king and she the loyal subject.

When Winter was four and he was six, she wised up. Jacin had pulled her hair, bent her fingers back and kicked her in the shins. Winter had cried for a little while. Then she sat up, sniffed, and walked primly into the other room before shoving a chocolate chip cookie into the disc player of his net-screen, (which never worked again.)

To this day, she still hides his things when she gets mad. The day he told her he was leaving for medical school, all of his text books went missing, along with all of his pencils, electronics, and one of each pair of socks.

"You need to relax." She advises wisely, touching his arm. "You've been tense since… well, since ever, but more so since the battle of Luna."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Jacin says dismissively. He holds open one of the broad silver doors that lead to the royal's chambers.

"You do. But I guess that makes sense. Bandages aren't the same as paper dolls." Winter replies. She swings her long, flowing skirts around her ankles and giggles. "Cinder and Kai are getting married… ooh, I'm so _happy_ for them. And didn't Crescent Moon look so lovely? I presented her, did you see?"

"I did." Jacin says. He sounds too fond. He should really stop grinning back at her.

The cure for Lunar maddness hadn't been nearly as effective as Dr. Erland's work had promised. Winter was herself again, although not entirely sane.

Still. Her disturbing hallucinations were gone, her fits have stopped completely, and she sleeps through the night. It's strange- Jacin almost misses the times when she'd be flighty and panicked, clawing at the front of his shirt and breathing heavily, tears trembling on her cheeks.

Then, he realizes, it's not Winter's horrible visions he misses. He misses her. He misses being needed, being depended on, being the one she cries out for in the middle of the night during a particularly horrible nightmare, when she wakes up sobbing with the sheets shreaded beneath her fingers.

It's petty and selfish, he understands. Because he is proud of her. She used to be this innocent, harmless little thing that needed him. Since the time she was four, when there were things in her closet, she's always relied on him.

Now she's a queen. Strong and confident and flawless and she doesn't need him to keep her safe. Her people love her. Aside from the obvious few who've made attempts on her life so far, (which honestly terrifies him.) He hadn't meant to yell at her earlier. It's just that this sort of thing has always put him on edge, and Winter has always been far from careful.

There was a boquet of roses sent to her chambers two hours before the ceremony. A genetically enjineered scorpian hidden in the stems nearly killed one of Winter's lady's maids.

He realizes she's been talking, and they slow down at the top of the routunda.

"I think I want to get rid of them all." Winter muses, peering over the banister at the crowd. She looks up at Jacin. "Can I do that?"

"What?" He frowns in confusion.

"The court. I have a list of people I want to deport to one of the outer sectors." She explains.

Jacin shrugs, arms still folded. "You're the queen." He says, and leaves it at that.

Winter kicks at her skirts in frustration. "It's just that… oh, they were so _awful_, all the while Levana was a tyrant and they were no better- I won't have them in my court." Winter shuddered in disgust. "Every time I look at them, all I see is blood bubbling from their mouths and ice in their eyes. I don't want them here." "Then we'll get rid of them." Jacin says simply.

It's usually at this point that he has to rub her back, touch her shoulders, pull her into his arms. Now he has no excuse to touch her, no reason to break his rules.

It's kind of aggravating.

Winter babbles happily about various topics, nonsence and riddles and responsibilities all rolled into one, long speech that Jacin finds himself laughing at. She's innocent and flighty, maybe, but she's in no way a little girl. Clever, insightful, confusing as hell, but still, the new Queen is intelligent, and that counts for something.

"Here we are." Winter announces, skipping up to her door.

"Should I request a guard to stand outside the door, your Grace?" He bows propperly, smiling up at her.

"There are already three- two on the balcony, and another in the sideroom. And Iri and Farren are staying over as well- like a sleepover, they say, though I expect they're keeping watch as well. I think Sel-I mean Cinder and Scarlet were going to stay and take turns since tonight is… well, you know. But since neither of them are trained in combat and Kai just proposed- well, I think five guards is enough, don't you?"

He doesn't really.

Jacin has never trusted any of the other guards around Winter- some of them were handsy, some catcalled or made crude remarks they hoped she wouldn't understand (but Jacin did, unfortunately for them.) And since the incident with Aimery Park, he's trusted them even less.

Additionally, he seriously doubts Winter's lady's maids, Elora, Iri and Farren (all of whom dote on Winter, but are not exactly warriors) will be able to provide sufficient protection. Loyal, but silly and shallow, the three can barely function beyond lacing up Winter's dresses and seeing that she recives her tea with lemon and milk.

But Jacin suspects that Winter is getting exhasperated with him fussing over her, and at the risk of threatening his hard-earned neutrality, he nods his head in consent.

Winter lifts her chin in a parody of a snobby royal, looking down at him through her double lashes. Her smile is playful.

"You may kiss my hand, Sir Clay." She says pompously, thrusting her gloved fingers forwards.

Jacin's seen her do this to the other guards, upon their request. It had always made him angry to see the obscene, overly dramatized displays of affection the Princess had recieved (particularly from Aimery) when this happened. Multiple, lingering kisses smattered over her knuckles, hungry gazes, a few cheeky winks that made Jacin's blood boil.

So when Winter offers him her hand, he responds appropriately. The kiss is brief and his lips barely graze the fresh scars that litter her skin, marks left from the broken glass of a window she'd been flung through during the battle of Artemesia palace.

Winter laughs down at him and squeezes his fingers. "Goodnight, Sir Clay."

"Sleep well, my Queen."

He bobs his head and watches her slip inside her room (he checks, there are only _two_ guards that he can see, and both of her ladies maids have dozed off already on her sofa,) before he finally departs.

Jacin runs into Ze'ev Kesley (Wolf) halfway down the hallway. The ex-LSOP soldier is standing in a dark corner, eyes gleaming with a shade of mirth under heavy layers of suspicion.

"How is the Queen?" Kesley asks through the slanted points of his teeth.

Jacin shrugs one shoulder, relaxing a bit with the knowledge that Winter is safe in her chambers with her lady's maids and at the very least, two guards on her balcony.

"She's well. How is Scarlet?"

At the human girl's name, Jacin sees Kesley's eyes light up. "She's much better." He says enthusiastically, like a young boy talking about a new best friend. "She's sleeping in again, which is a good sign- she used to wake up in the middle of the night and scream and thrash around- now she sleeps through the night… and most of the morning." Kesley grins at Jacin, apparently expecting him to find the human girl just as fascinating and adorable as he apparently did.

Winter's been lecturing him about being 'more polite,' recently, so Jacin smiles politely. "Are you two staying here, in the Queen's guard? I know Winter feels safe around you."

The giant, threatening monster of a man looked suddenly shy and nervous. "She's a lovely person and a great Queen. I'm glad to know she feels secure." He says carefully, like his words were weapons that could cut Winter if he spoke too openly of her.

"She's unstable." Jacin finishes for him. "I know that throws you off sometimes."

"Winter… well, yes." Kesley's eyes flicker down and he smiles. "She's a bit odd, I'll grant anyone that. But she's a good person- Winter will make a wonderful Queen, if only the people give her a chance." He uncrosses his arms. "Scarlet and I- we are moving back to Earth. But I'm still happy to serve my Queen in any way that I can. I want to be with Scarlet- I just don't feel that Winter is completely safe right now."

"You and me both." Jacin scoffs. He looks down over the banister, where the pools of people Winter had wanted to banish from the court are starting to disperse, mulling together before drifting apart and filtering out of the ballroom.

He can feel Kesley's eyes on him. "What?" He nearly snaps.

"You love her." The man says, and his voice isn't teasing or amused or even mildly surprised. He says it like he's just stating a fact.

Jacin scoffs again, but he doesn't answer. "What would you know?" He mutters.

"More and more every day." Kesley is smiling, the bastard, and Jacin feels his fingers dig into the marble banister of the routunda. "And if you're trying to keep that a secret, you've made an epic and glorious failure. You look at her like she's the stars in the sky."

"She's pretty." Jacin says, deadpan, and expects Kesley to leave it at that.

Instead, he scoffs. "Lots of people stare at her because she's pretty. I have. Kai, Thorne, Cress, Scarlet even. Most people are infatuated with her." He smirks knowingly. "You don't look at Winter like you want to share her bed. Or not just that, anyway... you look at her like you've loved her for all of _her_ life, and you want to love her for the rest of _yours_."

Jacin feels altogether irritated and exhausted by this entire conversation. He's just about to throw up his hands and order Kesley to go guard the library or something when he hears it.

The spray of shattering glass on marble floors, the growling roar of a wolf, and a scream that ices his blood.

Winter's scream.

Jacin doesn't think he's ever moved so fast in his life. The door is unlocked, to his relief and horror, and Sir Kesley is only a few feet behind but Jacin's worried the two of them won't be enough.

When they reach the hearth, there are two men, guards, sprawled unconcious at the foot of Winter's bed. One of the lady's maids is shrieking and sobbing hysterically, curled up and hidden behind the coffee table.

Winter isn't screaming anymore. He can't see her at all.

Jacin looks around wildly for Winter, expecting to find her sprawled lifeless on the cold floor. He realizes he's calling out her name. For all the training he went through when he came to be a guard, he seems to have lost all his so-called natural grace now- he stumbles in his haste to reach her bedside, and his hands find bloody sheets.

"Jacin." Kesley says gently, hand on his shoulder.

He looks up, and there's Winter. Her curls are disheveled, her eyes wide and glassy, gleaming with the light of the synthetic fireplace. There's blood on her skin, so dark in the firelight it looks black.

And she's alive.

The blood splattered over her clothes isn't her own. The heavy head of a silver wolf is in her lap- Ryu keens and licks at her palms, a soft growl still rumbling through his body. Winter strokes his pelt with trembling fingers.

Jacin realizes his knees are soaked in blood. Beneath him, lying crumpled at the foot of Winter's bed, is the would-be assassin.

Elora. Winter's lady in waiting- Stars, he had trusted the witch, trusted that she wouldn't go after Winter with a hairpin, let alone a dagger. The blunt, aged weapon is clutched in her graying fingers- two of which, Jacin notices, Ryu has taken the liberty to chew off.

He can't even look at her neck- it's a mess of shreaded red pulp and gore, but around the edges he can make out the teethmarks.

With shaking hands and a voice that's barely there, Jacin reaches up to stroke Ryu's ears, his hands brushing Winter's. "Good boy." He says. It's the first time he's praised what he always reguareded as a dangerous wild animal Winter shouldn't own- but stars, the mutt has earned it.

Winter makes a choked little sobbing noise, and Jacin's hand drifts up to her cheek. "You're safe." He says, reassuring himself as much as her. "You're okay, Trouble. Shhh… you're safe."

The silver wolf shifts in Winter's lap, jaws drizzling red, and she hugs him closer. She starts to cry in earnest, pinning Jacin's hand to her cheek.

Between them, the lady's maid lies sprawled dead on the floor, her throat ripped out by a wolf.

* * *

><p><strong>Yeah... I've been writing pretty violent stuff since 'Fairest.' So. That's the end of part one. Part two soon to come! Thanks for all of your support, my fellow Lunartics! ^_^<strong>


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